In brief
Donald Trump has issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, directing Apple Maps and other mapping services to comply. Google began reflecting the new name for U.S. users; Canada still sees the original name, while other services like MapQuest said they would not change it. The move has caused confusion and criticism in Canada, prompting Hydro One and other agencies to issue apologies and corrections. The renaming reflects a broader spat over U.S.-Canada trade relations, with the Canadian government and Premier Doug Ford decrying the change as a loss of heritage.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a move that has led the Interior Department and high‑tech firms such as Apple to update the geographic designation on their platforms.
Apple confirmed that it has been contacted directly by the White House to make the switch on Apple Maps for U.S. users. Google followed suit over the weekend, updating its U.S. mapping service while keeping the original name for Canadian viewers. In other regions, the lake appears as "Lake Ontario (Lake America)."
The change met swift resistance in Canada. Hydro One, a Toronto‑based utility, issued an apology on X for its map incorrectly showing Lake America, citing the use of a third‑party mapping service. Other Ontario agencies, such as Hydro Ottawa and the Liquor Board of Ontario, briefly displayed the new name before correcting the error.
MapQuest, a free web‑mapping provider that debuted in 1996, declined to rename the lake, instead offering a user tool to label the waterbody at will and rising to the top of Canada’s most‑downloaded free apps shortly thereafter.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford countered with a large sign on the lakeshore stating "Lake Ontario Now and Always" in both English and French, underscoring the cultural significance attached to the original name. Ford maintained that the lake has retained its name for centuries and will not change in the future.
The official U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) will adopt the new designation following the order, with the Interior Department tasked to uphold the rename across federal agencies and cartographic standards.
